So, we named our farm, ‘Up to Scratch’. My son’s idea. I love the name and we decided it was perfect. Having this name, however, means if you don’t have anything that scratches, it’s a fake name. It’s sort of like that imitation crab meat you buy at the grocery. It’s actually some kind of fish. It’s not crab. We don’t want to be imitation crab meat so we have acquired ambassadors of scratch, or…..in other words, chickens.

Mail order chickens…. Did you know you can order LIVE chicks through the mail? You can. It’s amazing what you can order through the mail. I’ve actually ordered mealworms for feeders as well as fish and live shrimp off a website for my fish tank. There is something about ordering a live creature through the mail that seems wrong though. I digress though. Not gonna lie, my ADHD mind goes in many directions at once so there will be side little detours from my point sometimes. Back to chickens! SO, I went to the website and picked chickens. I chose two breeds and ordered 10, of each. Black Giant and White Leghorns!! I needed chickens to withstand cold temperatures and ones that were good laying hens and well as possible meat chickens(which I don’t know if I can do that part). I’ve had chickens and enjoy the fresh eggs, but as my daughter says I have attachment issues and may not be able to use them for meat. We will see.

Chicken babies!

What’s in the box?!? I got a call from the post office saying they have arrived. I drove over and picked up the box above and listened to the cheeping the whole way home. I got the brooder prepared and put them in. When you put them in, you have to dip their beaks in the water so they know where and what it is. Chickens are not the brightest animals on the planet. They have settled in and are going about chicken business.

Techno Chickens…. My daughter is across the country and hates that she is not here to see them in person. She wanted to FaceTime them so I placed my phone in the brooder so she could, ‘be one with the chickens’. They also seemed to enjoy it and came over to peck the screen frequently.

IT’S SO SHINY! I noticed the Ambassadors of Scratch are serious about their job. They love to scratch so much that they scratch the hay right into the waterer and fill it up. I got a pie plate and placed the water on it thinking that would help. Chickens, in their wisdom, became completely fascinated by the shiny! They spent the next hour pecking the pie plate. Eventually, they figured it out. As I said, chickens have tiny brains.

So my chickens are doing well. One is a rooster but I can’t figure it out yet. Only they know. Once he crows, I’ll know. I’m moving them to a bigger box today since they are growing. I love the little noises they make and there is nothing sweeter than when you pick one up and it snuggles down to sleep.

The Judds…. So, Up to Scratch Farm has the Ambassadors of Scratch, making us bonafide. Ever see that movie, ‘O Brother, Where Art Thou?’ when George Clooney finds his daughters and they tell him their mom has a new suitor and he’s bonafide? Well, UTSF is now bonafide in the scratch department. Bo…na….fide!!! Now we have to work on the farm part of the name. Farm implies multiple animals. We have extremely confused farm dogs that are actually retired racing greyhounds, but that’s not enough and their adjustment is another post on its own. So we have added some solar powered lawn mowers!! More about them in a later post. I will just say you haven’t lived until you ride an hour and a half with goats hoping they don’t jump the back seat and run wild.

My friend Bobbi-Lynn suggested the names and it has stuck. I’ve since decided all my goats will be named after country legends so at some point Dolly, Reba and Tammy will be added to the herd. I can hear the goaty Judds singing the song of their people and my coffee is finished so it’s time to start the day. Off to feed the animals and water the garden…..